Reading Between the Lines
by vodka straight
Summary: A first anniversary and an odd gift from Lois makes ya think. . .


READ BETWEEN THE LINES  
  
Lois and Clark walked into their brownstone at nine-thirty at night, tired and cheerful. They should have know that the office would try to do something to help them celebrate their first wedding anniversary, but they really had been nieve. Oh well, all had come out well, and they had all had a wonderful time. It had been an altogether great first anniversary. Lois and Clark had long ago that day exchanged their own gifts, and the party they had gotten had been a bit unorthodox, especially for Perry, but had been a lot of fun, and now, they were both very tired in that sweet, warm, full way, and both, or so Clark thought, perfectly ready to go to bed. Lois had other plans.   
  
"Happy anniversary." Clark said, with a tired but satisfied sigh. "That was a hell of a first one." he said. Lois smiled.   
  
"I'm not done with you yet." she said, and at Clark's quizzical look explained as she walked brusquely into their bedroom, going obviously to fetch something. "There's one more thing I wanted to give you. . ."  
  
"Lois, I only got you one gift!" Clark said as she returned into the room, holding a small, wrapped something in her hand.   
  
"Well, that's all right." she said with pleasant, twinkling, somehow expectant eyes. He could tell from the way she wasn't looking at *his* eyes that this was not just as it seemed. "It's not really a gift; it's more for practical use." she explained, biting her bottom lip with a hidden smile.  
  
"Oh God." Clark said, without even opening the wrapping-paper-shrouded gift that was handed to him scalpel-style. He could tell from the shape and the softness of the package what it was. Hadn't he known this one was coming. "A tie." he said flatly. "A tie from Lois. Aren't I excited."   
  
Lois slapped him on the arm with a teasingly annoyed smile. "You'll thank me when your older." she said chastisingly. "Would you just roll with the punches and open it?" she suggested. He sighed, looking at her from over the rims of his glasses.   
  
"I guess after last week's neon-purple and blue triangles I was asking for it. When will I ever learn."  
  
"Unless you honestly prefer the couch you should shut up and open it." Lois said flatly. Clark laughed and then saluted. He pulled away the nice wrapping carefully, trying to preserve the paper, but when he looked up and caught Lois looking at him like he should be locked up and thrown away the key, he threw caution to the wind and ripped at the paper until it was pulverized into pathetic little shreds. It exposed the gift inside, and all Clark could do was stare.   
  
Lois smiled tightly with anticipation and watched his face carefully. At first he was just shocked, then he began to smile this soft, kind of thoughtful smile; a thankful smile, sweetened with a kind of simple understanding. Clark suddenly realized that they were married. He had known it for the last year, of course, and he had understood it all the time, and it wasn't really like he was *realizing* he was married now, it was more like he was realizing what that meant.  
  
Clark reached down into the package and extracted a bright yellow tie with white, shiny sea-shell print on it. Lois suddenly blushed for a reason even she wasn't aware of.   
  
"I didn't know if it was really your style, but it was hideous so I figured that was enough to make it acceptable." she said awkwardly. Clark smiled warmly at her.   
  
"I love it." he said honestly, and she laughed shortly at the scene that would cause any viewer to burst out in fits of uncontrollable laughter. Even she couldn't suppress a laugh as she heard his voice, so serious and thankful in regard to such a silly, garish, almost clownish gift. But at the same time, watching him sit there, cradling this odd, awkward peace offering in his hands, she felt like he understood the true meaning of the gift and she was glad in a deep, warm way inside her chest.   
  
"Well, you better."   
  
The way she said it made it sound like there was something coming behind it, something about how she had endured so much ridicule from the sales clerk where she bought it, or about how she was going against her better judgment and would be kicking herself everyday he wore it for encouraging him, but nothing ever came. She just sat there, eventually looking up at him and smiling too.   
  
When Clark had first looked up after he opened the gift, his expression had been surprised, somewhat confused, although he didn't want to voice his confusion. It had always seemed like his choice in ties had been what Lois thought of as his main character flaw, he hadn't understood what had suddenly changed her mind. Not only was she allowing him to wear the weird ties, she was encouraging it. Clark knew that if he said this out loud it would seem stupid; they were ties, for gods sake! Why did it matter to him, why did it seem to symbolize so much?  
  
And then, what had really been seconds but what seemed like metaphorical years passed and he realized the past, present, and future of his marriage. It was all in a simple but hideous piece of fabric presented in beautiful, now nearly non-existent wrapping paper. Yes, his marriage was about being deeply in love with his wife, and her reciprocating, of course. His marriage was about taking this woman, Lois Lane, to be his lawfully wedded wife. His marriage was about having and holding, in sickness and in health, till death did they part. Yes. That was what it was about. But there were some things that never came up in their vows, some things that the preacher never said, some things that you had to read between the lines in the marriage license to know. Things like, you've got to let her sleep five minutes later then you do and then you have to let her scold you about letting her sleep in; you have to remember to pick up Rocky Road ice cream and you have to physicly know when she's out; *she* has to let you bring her coffee to her at work, no matter if she thinks it's "macho thing", no matter if she's standing right next to the coffee machine, no matter if Jimmy offers to grab her a cup, no matter if the President of France offers to grab her a cup; she has to pretend to believe you're not going to leave tonight, (no, you're not, tonight is just the two of you) and then she has to just let you go without saying a word, and she's absolutely got to kiss you before you leave, and kiss you when you get back. Things like that. Little things like that, that make you remember the ring on your finger. Things like how she's got to let you wear your ties. Oh, yes, those awful ties. Even though she hates it, even though she thinks they're disgusting, scary turn offs that make you look like a clown, she's got to let you. Not because you'll make her let you, not because it says she has to, written somewhere in big, bold print, but because you're *married*, and she loves you. Being married was about accepting peoples flaws, their little tendencies, their common/unique weirdnesses, about letting them wear their ties and eat their ice cream every night and say they'll do certain things when you know they won't. It seems like it would be so wrong, it sounds kind of wrong, but once you're in it, it's so deeply right you want to cry. And she knows, and she knows that you know. Maybe she did all along. Maybe she reads between the lines.   
  
He cupped her cheek in his hand, leaned forward and kissed her softly, slowly, for the first time in their hectic, crazy, happy day. He leaned away from her and she went with him for a few seconds, holding on and stretching the kiss out. Then it was over and their was a moment of silence where she knew he was thanking her for the tie, but more for what they both knew it meant, but would never have to say.   
  
"Thanks." Lois said, for the kiss.   
  
"Thanks." Clark said, for everything.  
  
THE END 


End file.
